In re CWC, 2026 Mich. LEXIS 1476 (Mich. 2026)

The Michigan Supreme Court granted a motion to ensure that case captions referred to a youth by their initials, as opposed to their full name, in line with statutory privacy interests for youth in the state. The court stated in relevant part:

Chapter 12A of the Probate Code, MCL 712A.1 through MCL 712A.32, governs the procedure and disposition of cases involving minors. These proceedings are generally open to the public, MCR 3.925(A)(1), but records of these juvenile delinquency cases are nonpublic, MCL 712A.28(3) (stating that records “are not open to the general public and are open only to persons having a legitimate interest”). This means that people unrelated to the case generally may attend juvenile proceedings under the court rule. However, by statute, the public cannot access personally identifying information about juvenile delinquency cases, including the minor child’s name, in the circuit court’s records. Here, the juvenile sought to ensure the case caption referred to him by his initials rather than his full name and filed a stipulated motion with the court. The public policy interest codified by the Legislature does not lessen when a juvenile exercises their right to an appeal. Additionally, Michigan appellate courts have, in other cases, protected this statutory privacy interest of juveniles in their appellate court records.